Car roof



H. A. CHRISTY.

CAR .RooF. APPLICATION FILED MAR- 7| I921- Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

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| 11 IF] I H. A. CHHISTY. CAR ROOF. APPLIQATION FILED MAR. 7, 1921.

1,412,450. Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

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H. A. CHHISTY. CAR ROOF. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1921- I 4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

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H. A. CHRI$TY. CAR ROOF. APPLICATION FILED MAR- 7, 1921.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CAR ROOF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

Application filed March 7, 1921. Serial No. 450,257.

To all whom it may camera Be it known thatI, HENRY A. O'HRIs Y, a citizen of the United States, residing atKenilworth, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Roofs, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to features of novelty and betterment in metallic carroofs, although the new structural characteristics may be advantageously employed in roofs or covers other than those used on railway freight cars.

It has heretofore been proposed to bend up flanges along the edges of metallic roof sheets to assure the prevention of the entrance of rain or moisture to the interior of the car body and the production of such integral flanges alongthe margins ofjthe plates has caused the grain of the metal to be broken, strained, or fractured at such points with the result that those portions of the plates or sheets were more likely to rust and deteriorate than the other unbent parts.

The use of such integral flanges also prevents the employment of relatively large sheets extending from car-body side-wall to side-wall the flanges not readily permitting their necessary bendingto conform to the double incline of the roof without in some degree rupturing or injuring'the flanges.

One leading object of the present inven tion is the provision of an improved construction which has the advantages incident to the use of flanges integral with the plates but which does not have the objectionable cl'iaraoteristics of such flanges.

Several other features of superiority of the new roof structure over those heretofore in common use will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from an under standing of a desirable embodiment of the invention such as has been fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein the same parts are supplied with like reference characters throughout the several views.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view ofthe new metallic car roof with some of the parts broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section through the new form of roof;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a car body equipped with such roof;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the roof ator near the transverse center of the same;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of a portion of the roof at the side of the car body;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary enlarged crosssection of the same portion of the car roof;

Figure 7 is a partial lengthwise section through the upper portion of the end wall of the car body;

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate modified constructions, the figures being similar to that of Figure 6;

Figure 10 is a vertical cross-section through a car-roof comprising an embodiment of the invention in modified form;

Figure 11 is a vertical section in line 1l-11 of Figure 10; and

Figure 12 is a fragmentary plan view of the same structure with the cap strip removed.

Turning to these drawings, it will be observed that the novel roof structure comprises a series of spaced, parallel carlines 11 extended between and fastened at their opposite ends to the depending flanges of the longitudinal, angle-bar side-plates 12.

These cambered carlines are preferably of general channel form in cross-section disposed trough side up and provided along their upper edges with oppositely-project ing, horizontal, outstanding flanges 13, 13 flush or on a level with the top surfaces of the side-plates.

At their opposite ends such carlines are of the shape clearly depicted in Figures 6, 8 and 9, having somewhat deepened or enlargedterminal portions 14, the flanges being bent down along the end edges thereof to provide apertured, verticallydisposed ears 15 adapted to bear against and to be fastened to the side-plates by rivets 16.

The metal roof plates 17, bent or shaped to conform to the transverse contour of the roof, extend uninterruptedly from side-wail to side-wall of the car-body, such plates coming together at their edges but not necessarily in actual physical contact over the centers of the troughs of the carlines, the plates, as is clearly illustrated, resting on the flanges of such carlines.

Each such margin or border of the plates has an angle-bar 19 spot or otherwise electrically welded along its top surface as at 100 (Figure t), such bar extending the full width of the car-body, and in order to assure a water and weatherproof union between the bar and plate, a strip of metal 20 is fused along the edge of the angle-bar flange bearing on the plate, whereby the fused metal eflectively seals the joints.

The upstanding flanges of each pair of contiguous or contacting marinal angle-bars are bolted or otherwise fastened together at intervals at 21 thus securely holding the roof plates together and against dislodg- Inent.

These angle-bars extend over and rest upon the outstanding flangesrof the carbody sideplates and near the outer portions of the latter, the upright flanges of the angle-bars are materially and gradually reduced in height at 22, as is shownin Figure 6, and the extreme terminal portions of the angle-bars are bent down over the outer edges of the angle side-plates.

Each such united pair of strengthening and securing angle-bars is covered by a cambered or oppositely-sloping invertedchannel cap-strip 24 having narrow flanges 25 along its opposite lower edges resting on. the top faces of the horizontal flanges of the covered angle bars, all as is clearly portrayed in Figure 4.

At each side of the car, the end portion of the cap-strip is widened out at 26 and also reduced in height at 27, such deformed ends being somewhat wider than the united angle-bars beneath them, and the end part of the cap-strip, including its central rib now of reduced width and height as shown at 28, is bent down over the car-body side wall, its widened flanges 29 being fastened in position by bolts 30 passing. through holes in the ends of the carlines, the angle side-plate, and the flanges 29.

The longitudinal running-boards 3! (Figure 4:) are fastened by screws or otherwise to wooden cross strips 32 of suitable shape resting on the cap-strips and bolted at 32 sidewise to an upstanding plate 33, one of which is welded to one side face of the capstrip.

At the end of the car-body, the wooden endplate 34- is bolted at 35 to the inner sheet-metal plate 36 of the end wall and to an outer, transverse, angle-plate 37 having a top inwardly-extended flange 38 overlying and welded to the end roof plate 17 as at 101 (Figure 7), the edge of such flange having a fused strip 39 to seal the joint.

- boards.

Instead of bending the ends of the anglebars on the edges of the roof-plates down over the side-plate, if desired, they may terminate at 42 at or near the outer edges of the latter, as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

The opposite ends of the metal roof-plates 17.1nay be bent down at 43 over the edges of the top flanges of the angle side-plates as illustrated in Figures 6 and 9, or they may be made somewhat longer and bent in under such flanges as shown at 4a in F iii-e8.

From an understanding of these structures, it will be clear that the roof-plates extend fully across the complete width of the car roof without joints and their ends are turned down over the side-plates so that rain and water are shed effectively.

Inasmuch as no flanges are turned up from the bodies of such 'roofplates, there is no rupturing or breaking ofthe grain of their metal, thereby reducing in marked degree any tendency to rust.

The plates, however, are securely bound together by their marginal angle-bars, which not only afford convenient means for. fas- .tening the roof-plates together, but they also perform the function'of barriers to prevent rain, snow, sleet, etc, from finding access to the interior of the car-body, the latter being fully and completely protected by the roof.

The cap-strips support the running-boards and constitute shields for the angle-bar joints between the roof-plates and in the manner in which they are employed they constitute convenient means for holding other portions of the roof structure in position.

The new style of car-roof herein presented in detail is not only simple in structure. comprising relatively few parts, but it is also economical to manufacture by reason of the simplicity of the forms of the various elements employed and the ready manner in which they may be assembled. It will also be understood that a roof of this type may be easily repaired at comparatively small expense owin to the ease with which damaged parts may be taken out and replaced.

In the form of roof shown in Figures 10 to 12, the roof-plates l? have the border angle-bars 19 welded thereto as at 102 (Fig me 11) as described above, butthe carlines 4.5 are of inverted T shape in cross-section.

At each side-wall of the ear-body, the

end portion of each such carline is slit or and such head, which in the reversed position of the carline shown constitutes its base, is bent down inside of the side-plate 12 to form an attachment ear 48, whereas the stem or upstanding rib of the carline projects over and rests on the top flange of the side-plate, the terminal portion of such stem or rib being cut off or bevelled at 49.

V In this style of structure, the bolts 50 which fasten the angle-bars 19, 19 together extend through holes provided for that purpose in the vertically-disposed rib of the carline, thus indirectly fastening the root'- plates which rest on the base of the carline to its stem.

As in the preceding cases, the construction includes an inverted channel capstrip 51 having marginal flan es 52, 52 above and bearing on the horizontal flanges of the pair of anglebars 19, 19.

Such capstrips, a in the other embodiments, are bent down at their ends and fastened by bolts 53 to the side-plate, such bolts extending through holes in the earline ears 48 thus holding such members in place.

Only a few embodiments of the invention have been presented, but the invention is obviously susceptible of incorporation in various physical forms, all falling within the scope of the appended claims defining the invention.

I claim:

1. In a railway-car roof, the combination of carlines secured to the car-body side walls, sheet-metal roof plates resting on Said carlines, anglebars welded along the adjacent margins of said roof plates, cap strips overlying said angle-bars, and means to hold said cap strips in position.

2. In a railway-car roof, thecombination of carlines secured to the car-body side-walls, sheet-metal roof plates resting on said carlines, angle-bars spot welded along the adjacent margins of said roof plates, metal closing the joints between said angle-bars and root plates, cap strips overlying said angle-bars, and means to hold said cap strips in position.

3. In a railway-car roof, the combination of cambered carlines secured to the car-body sidewalls, cambered sheet-metal root plates resting on said carlines and extending continuously from car-body side-wall to sidewall, angle-bars welded along the adjacent margins of said roof plates, cap strips overlying aid anglebars, and means to hold said cap strips in position.

t. In a railway-car roof, the combination of cambered carlines secured to the cai body side-walls, cambered sheet-metal roof plates resting on said carlines, extending continuously from car-body side-wall to side-wall, and bent down at their ends over the carbody side-plates, angle-bars Welded along the adjacent margins of said roof plates, cap

strips overlying said angle-bars, and means to hold said cap strips in position.

7 5. In a railway-car roof, the combination of carlines secured to the car-body side-walls, sheet-metal roof plates resting on said carlines, extending continuously from car-body side-wall to sidewall, and bent down at their ends over the car-body side-plates, anglebars welded along the adjacent margins of said roof plates, cap strips overlying said angle-bars and bent down at their ends over the car-body side-plates, and means to hold said cap strips in position.

6. In a railway-car roof, the combination or" cambered carlines secured to the car-body side-walls, cambered heet-metal roof plates resting on said carlines, extending continuously from carbody side-wall to side-wall, and bent down at their ends over the carbody side-plates, angle-bars spot welded along the adjacent margins of said roof plates, metal closing the joints between said angle-bars and said roof plates, cap strips overlying said angle-bars and bent down at their ends over the car-body side-plates, and means to hold said cap strips in position.

7. In a railway-car roof, the combination of carlines secured to the car-body side-walls, sheet-metal roof plates resting on said carlines, angle-bars arranged back to back welded along the adjacent margins of said roof plat-es, cap strips overlying and for the greater portion of their length resting on the flanges of said angle-bars, said cap strips having widened ends turned down over the car-body side-plates, and means fastening said cap strip ends in position.

8. In a railway-car roof, the combination of carlines secured to the car-body sidewalls, sheet-metal roof plates resting on said carlines, extended continuously from car-body sidewall to side-wall, and having ends turned down over the car-body side-plates with inturned terminal portions, angle-bars arranged back to back welded along the adjacent margins of said roof plates, cap strips overlying and for the greater portion of their length resting on the flanges of said anglebars, said cap strips having widened ends downturned over the Car-body sideplates,

and means fastening said cap str'p ends in position.

9. In a railway-car roof, the combination of carlines secured to the car-body side-walls, sheet-metal roof plates resting on said (arlines, angle-bars welded along the adjacent margins of said roof plates, cap strips overlying said angle-bars, means to' hold said cap strips in position, plates welded to the sides of said cap strips, blocks fastened to said plates. and running-boards secured to said blocks.

10. In a car-roof, the combination of a carline of inverted T-shape in cross-section, roof-plates resting at their margins on the base flanges of said earlines, and angle-bars said ear and side-plate together, said sepwelded to said magins of the reef-plates. arated stein extending over and bearing 11. In'a ear-roof, the combination of a edgewise on the top of said side-plate, roof- 1O side-plate, a earline of inverted T-shape in plates resting at their margins on the base 5 cross-section, the base of said earline at its flanges of said Carlines, and angle-bars welded end being severed from the stem thereof and to said margins ofthe roof-plates. bent down to form an ear, means to secure HENRY A. CHRISTY. 

